SGG-SSH-SSS

What SGG-SSH-SSS does

The Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Geschichte (SGG), also known as SSH and SSS, is the national professional association for historians in Switzerland, constituted as a Swiss non-profit association (Verein) and headquartered at Villettemattstrasse 9 in Bern. Its core purpose is to represent more than 1,800 members — including university professors, researchers, archivists, museum professionals, and students across the German, French, and Italian-speaking regions — and to advocate for improved conditions in historical scholarship and education. The SGG operates in a trilingual mode across German, French, and Italian, maintains a LinkedIn and Instagram presence, and is affiliated with the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAGW) and the International Committee of Historical Sciences (CISH/ICHS).

Its product portfolio centers on two publication platforms: the Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Geschichte (SZG), a peer-reviewed Diamond Open Access journal published triannually by Schwabe Verlag Basel and carrying editorial lineage back to 1843, and the Itinera series of thematic volumes launched in 1985. Supporting offerings include the Editionen-Datenbank, a free archival database of all SZG editions, and an Auftragsarbeiten service that matches member historians with commissioned research contracts from cantons, cities, museums, and religious or trade associations. Technology is conventional web infrastructure: WordPress-style content management hosted by Hostpoint AG, with Logaholic Web Analytics for non-personal usage measurement, and the Payrexx payment processor handling donations and fees.

The business model is a hybrid of subscription-based individual memberships (CHF 120 standard, CHF 50 reduced, CHF 150 family/corporate), donations, and professional-services revenue from commissioned historical research projects. Publications are offered as Diamond Open Access — no article processing charges and no reader fees — which intentionally forgoes publication-related revenue in favor of membership value and academic impact. The organization relies heavily on volunteer editorial labor, with a small General Secretariat handling administration.

Name

SGG-SSH-SSS

Legal name

Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Geschichte

Website

https://sgg-ssh.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1841

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Geschichte (SGG) is the national Swiss non-profit professional association for historians, serving over 1,800 members across the country's language regions with advocacy, publications, and commissioned research services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association and Academic Publishing

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJABAK

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Educational & Academic Publishing (Textbooks, Scholarly, STM)

SECONDARYMPAJABAC

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Educational & Academic Publishing (Textbooks, Scholarly, STM)

SECONDARYEDAGAFAK

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

SECONDARYMPAJABAJ

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Educational & Academic Publishing (Textbooks, Scholarly, STM)

Keywords

• Academic publishing services
• Professional history association
• Scholarly journal publishing
• Commissioned historical research
• History education advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees constitute a primary revenue stream. The organization has more than 1800 members paying annual dues at various tier levels.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations through Payrexx payment processor. Donations are used to support historical research and education initiatives.
3. Commissioned Research Projects: The SGG provides commissioned research services to public institutions (cantons, cities, museums) and religious organizations. These projects include advisory services, project management, and quality assurance for historical research.
4. Diamond Open Access Publications: The SZG and Itinera publications are Diamond Open Access - free for authors and readers. No publication fees (APC) are charged. While the publications serve the academic mission, they do not generate direct revenue but enhance membership value.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Geschichte (SGG) is the professional association for historians in Switzerland, providing academic publishing platforms (the triannual Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Geschichte and the Itinera thematic series), a membership program for over 1,800 historians, advocacy for history education and research policy, and commissioned research services matching academic historians with public institutions, cantons, cities, and cultural or religious organizations. The organization operates as a non-profit Swiss association (Verein) headquartered in Bern, representing professional historians across German, French, and Italian-speaking Switzerland.

Product overview

SGG-SSH-SSS is a professional association for historians in Switzerland offering a portfolio of academic publishing products and services. Its core products are the Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Geschichte (SZG), a triannual peer-reviewed Diamond Open Access journal published by Schwabe Verlag, and the Itinera series of thematic volumes, also Diamond Open Access, published since 1985. Both publications are complemented by an editions database and supported by a membership program offering free journal access to over 1800 members. The organization also provides commissioned research services (Auftragsarbeiten) facilitating the market for contract historical research in Switzerland, and administers academic grants and advocacy for history education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Geschichte (SZG) The Swiss Historical Journal (SZG) is the flagship triannual peer-reviewed academic journal of the SGG, publishing scientific articles in German, French, Italian, and English. It is offered as a Diamond Open Access publication with no fees for authors or readers, and is distributed in print through Schwabe Verlag Basel. Members receive free print copies as a membership benefit.
• Itinera Itinera is a publication platform for thematic issue volumes founded in 1985, publishing conference proceedings and article collections for historians at universities and beyond. Available as Diamond Open Access via Schwabe Verlag Basel, with quality secured through peer review.
• Auftragsarbeiten (Commissioned Research) Contracted historical research services for public institutions (cantons, cities, museums) and religious or cultural organizations, including project preparation, tendering, scientific backoffice, and publication support. Matches qualified academic researchers with commissioning clients for applied history projects.
• Mitgliedschaft (Membership) A membership program with over 1,800 members offering free print and digital copies of the SZG journal, networking, and professional support for historians in Switzerland. Annual membership tiers include standard (CHF 120), reduced for students and low-income (CHF 50), couples/family (CHF 150), and corporate/legal entity (CHF 150) categories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for preservation of history teaching hours in Geneva secondary schools (June 2026, 68-18 vote)

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Schweizerische Akademie der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften (SAGW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SAGW (Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences) is the umbrella organization for humanities and social science associations in Switzerland. The SGG is affiliated with SAGW and receives support for its publication activities. SAGW is listed as an operational partner on the SGG website.
• Comité international des sciences historiques (CISH/ICHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe International Committee of Historical Sciences is the worldwide organization for national historical associations. The SGG represents Swiss historians in this international body.
• Ernst Göhner StiftungminorOthersThe Ernst Göhner Foundation provided support for the implementation of the SGG website, representing a financial/support grant for organizational infrastructure.
• Schwabe Verlag BaselcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchwabe is the Swiss publishing house that publishes SGG's journal (Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Geschichte) and the Itinera series. Publications appear as Diamond Open Access through Schwabe, who handles print distribution.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Schwabe Verlag Basel: The Swiss academic publisher that prints and distributes SGG's SZG journal and Itinera series. Comparable as the operational partner handling publication production for a Swiss historical scholarly society.

Broad incumbents

• Schweizerische Akademie der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften (SAGW): The Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences serves as the umbrella organization for Swiss humanities and social science associations including SGG. Comparable as a broader scholarly body in Switzerland that coordinates funding and representation for member associations.
• Comité international des sciences historiques (CISH/ICHS): The worldwide organization for national historical associations, of which SGG is the Swiss member. Comparable as a higher-tier umbrella body aggregating national scholarly history associations globally.

Direct peers

• Société française d'histoire politique: A French scholarly association for political history, comparable to SGG in being a French-language European scholarly society for historians with publications and conferences, though focused on a sub-discipline.
• American Historical Association: The largest professional association for historians in the United States, with membership, conferences, and journals (American Historical Review). Directly comparable to SGG as a national scholarly society serving professional historians and publishing peer-reviewed historical research.
• Royal Historical Society: UK-based scholarly society for historians, providing membership, fellowships, publications (Transactions of the Royal Historical Society), and advocacy for history education. Closely comparable in mission and structure to SGG as a national professional association for historians.
• Deutscher Historikerverband: The German professional association for historians, organizing the Historikertag conference and representing historians in policy. Comparable to SGG as a neighboring national scholarly society with similar advocacy, publication, and conference functions.
• Verband der Historiker und Historikerinnen Deutschlands (VHD): German academic association for historians in higher education, focused on historical science and didactics. Comparable to SGG as a German-language scholarly society serving professional historians with advocacy and conferences.

Regional players

• Fondazione Museo storico del Trentino: Italian regional historical foundation publishing scholarly historical work and operating in the Italian-speaking Alpine region. Comparable as a regional Italian-language historical institution adjacent to SGG's Italian-speaking Swiss constituency.
• Historische Kommission bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften: A regional German historical research commission operating outside Switzerland but with comparable mission of advancing historical scholarship through commissions, research projects, and publications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schweizerische-gesellschaft-f%C3%BCr-geschichte
• Instagraminstagram.com/sgg_ssh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SGG-SSH-SSS